You Can't Stop the Beat
by BenedictusCumberbatchicus
Summary: Kurt is a teenager living in 1960s Ohio, with racism and homophobia galore. The one light in his life is the Will Shuester show and in particular it's main male dancer, the gorgeous Blaine Anderson. When a spot on the show opens Kurt realises he'd do anything to get that spot and have the chance to meet the love of his life. The studio running the show, however, has other ideas.
1. Good Morning Lima

"It's starting!" Kurt yelled as he switched on the television in his living room. The television switched on with a loud _fpuzz_ and the black-and-white images of local station, William McKinley Studio, formed.

His best friend and sidekick (though _she_ would argue that he was the sidekick) Mercedes Jones joined him, jumping up and down in excitement.

Just then, a voice spoke out of the speakers, announcing: "Coming up next, _The Will Shuester Show!_"

Both Kurt and Mercedes were jumping now, and flailing their arms around happily.

"_Hey there teenage Lima!"_ the host, the suave Will Shuester, greeted, "_Don't change that channel, 'cause it's time for the Will Shuester show!"_ He walked over to the next camera and held up a can of hairspray to the camera.

"Brought to you by Ultra Clutch Hairspray!" Mercedes and Kurt said in unison with the host, then turning to smile at each other.

As Will Shuester opened his mouth to sing a group of teenagers dressed in the latest fashion trends appeared, all singing back-up when Will began to sing the classic opening song, 'The Nicest Kids in Town'. Kurt and Mercedes sang along with him, and even copied the dance moves that some of the dancers did.

Then came Kurt's favourite part; the roll call.

"_Roll _call!" Will Shuester cried as the teenagers assembled themselves behind him. As he stepped out of the way, they began introducing themselves.

"_I'm Rachel!"_ beamed a brunette in a coral pink dress, curtseying slightly. The camera focused on her and her wide smile until she was pushed out of the way by a clumsy blond boy, who introduced himself as "Sam"

"_Marley!"_ the next girl yelled.

"_Finn!"_ Finn was Kurt's soon-to-be step-brother, and sometimes Kurt was surprised he was even on the show; he had two left feet and could barely keep up with his dance partner, who was usually the girl behind him, a pretty blonde who said_, "Quinn!"_ while she smiled at the camera. Kurt personally thought that other people would be a better replacement – other people like himself, for example.

"_Puck!"_ one guy with one a strip of hair down the middle of his head introduced himself as.

"_Brittany!"_ another pretty blonde smiled. Kurt knew her from school, as she always tried to copy Kurt in French (while writing in crayon, no less). She, however, was one of the best dancers there.

"Ryder, Jake, Unique, Kitty, Becky!" Kurt and Mercedes cried as each of the named people introduced themselves, building up to Kurt's favourite part and leaving only one teenager left.

Blaine Anderson.

Blaine Anderson was _the_ most popular guy in school. He sang and danced like those in Hollywood, and would probably end up there in a few years himself.

He was the definition of beauty, in Kurt's opinion, with his gelled hair and smouldering looks. After all, there was a reason all the girls fawned over him.

Blaine danced a little, swaying his hands and moving his hips from side to side. Those hips…

Let's face it, Kurt could write sonnets about _those hips_.

"_And I'm,"_ Blaine paused as the camera zoomed in before he said in the sexiest voice that Kurt had ever heard in his entire existence on planet Earth: _"Blaine."_

Kurt sighed, his eyelids fluttering close momentarily. "He's so dreamy," he whispered to himself,

"That is one fine piece of ass," Mercedes agreed.

Mercedes understood Kurt more than anything. She was the first person he'd come out too last year, when he had that brief (very, very brief) crush on Finn. Now whenever Kurt mentioned how hot a particular one was (and he announced that fact often) she barely batted an eyelid. Not that she didn't before but Kurt was glad he had a friend that accepted him no matter what.

"Shame he's dating Rachel Berry, though," Mercedes added as an afterthought.

And there it was. Bypassing the whole he's-straight-but-you're-not problem, was the main one. Even though Kurt knew the truth, trying to split up Blaine Anderson and Rachel Berry would be like trying to walk through a tornado.

"Only for publicity," Kurt let slip before he realised what he was saying. He then put his hand over his mouth, as Mercedes glared at him with eyes wide. "Tell me what you know, white boy."

"Nothing!" Kurt exclaimed, but that wasn't _quite_ true.

Every Friday, Kurt and his father had their dinner together, and sometimes it was the only time throughout the whole week where they said more that "hello" or "bye" to each other.

Last Friday, however, had been different. Last Friday they had been joined by Carole Hudson, who had been dating Kurt's father for some time, and Carole's son Finn. The Finn that couldn't dance if the world depended on it, and was really only still on the show for his looks. He was handsome, if you were into clumsy giants. Kurt had been, a while ago, when he was just realising who he was. And, hey, Finn was the only man in his life (apart from his father) who had actually tried having a conversation with him. What did he expect to happen?

The conversation at the dinner table had gone somewhat like this:

"So, Finn," Kurt's father, Burt, had asked in the midst of cutting up his steak, "You got an eye on any girls?" Of course, the conversation that Burt had never had with Kurt, but was apparently more than ready to have with Finn. He would be, considering Finn had never been called a 'fag' or 'pussy' in his life.

"Well," Finn had begun as he chewed on his cauliflower, of which several pieces flew out of his mouth and onto the wooden dinner table (Kurt definitely _did not_ twitch), "There is Rachel Berry. I mean, we've kissed a few times, but she's always going back to her boyfriend. I mean, I know it's for publicity and stuff, but they're always kissing and it really gets me down. I want to be the only one that kisses her, you know?" Carole glanced at him, and he swallowed his food with a loud gulp.

"Sorry," he added.

"What?" Kurt had nearly shouted he was so surprised, "_Rachel_ _Berry_? Rachel Berry who's dating Blaine Anderson?" This was gold. He'd tell Blaine, who would be heartbroken for maybe a day or two but would then realise what Kurt had done for him and then he'd serenade him with the latest Beatles song and some major hip thrusting.

Okay, so maybe not the Beatles. Blaine probably liked Elvis or something. Which was cool; he could dig Elvis.

"Yeah," Finn had said, unfazed by his major revelation. He had then froze, eyes widening, as he realised what he'd just told them. "Wait. No! The other Rachel Berry. The one with…" Finn's eyebrows knotted together momentarily as he tried to come up with an appropriate answer, "blue hair!"

"Blue hair?" Carole asked, eyebrows raised, "I'm sure she's the talk of the town down in Columbus."

Finn's eyes fixed to his plate while everyone else looked at him before finally blurting out, "Fine, okay, the one with brown hair. But you have to promise not to tell anyone!"

"But-" Kurt had begun, but Burt looked at him, as if to tell him telepathically not to screw up his relationship with his future step-brother.

"Fine," Kurt had sighed, as he stabbed his cauliflower with his fork and twirled it. It look like he would never have got getting Blaine Anderson outside his window singing Elvis and thrusting his hips wildly. Which had been a pity, really.

Mercedes stared at him with her eyebrows raised, and then said again, "You better tell me everything, white boy."

"Okay!" Kurt gave in, "But you can't tell anyone! I promised Finn."

"I promise. Now spill!"

"Finn and Rachel kissed a few times," Kurt explained, "But Rachel is dating Blaine for publicity or something. I mean, the leaders always get together, right? But if she had a choice Rachel would probably choose Finn. At least I hope so for Finn's sake."

"Oh my God! That is _gold_! We've got to do something about it!" Mercedes announced, "We've got to tell Blaine!

"I told you, I promised Finn."

"But Rachel's cheating on Blaine! This is a chance to get into his good books!"

"I thought that, but…" Kurt trailed off, "He's straight. And anyone, nobody wants to hang around with the school fag, right? He's probably just like the others, and I don't want to ruin the perfect image of him in my mind."

"Come here, Hummel," Mercedes said, pulling Kurt into a hug, "We're going to get you Blaine even if it involves breaking your promise to Finn. 'Kay?"

"'Kay. You're still coming over on Friday, right?"

"And miss our monthly shopping trip? Hell no!"

"Good. I saw these boots that looked exactly like Audrey Hepburn's in that photo-shoot from last month, and they'd suit that coat you bought last month perfectly."

"_And that's all we've got time for!_" Will Shuester said from the television, "_Apart from one more announcement,_" he walked over to Marley, one of the council members, and rest his hands on her shoulder before saying, "_Unfortunately Marley won't be joining up next week._"

Both Kurt and Mercedes turned to face the television.

"Oh my God, she's one of the best! She can't leave!" Mercedes cried out while Kurt gasped, clasping his hand to his chest.

"_She's off to the bright lights of Los Angeles, isn't that right Marley?_"

"Sure is!" Marley smiled broadly, looking directly into the camera.

"_Marley's going to be Hollywood's next rising star, and Lima's own Elizabeth Taylor! But, that also means we've got an opening here at WM Studio! However much we'll miss her, the show must go on!_" The camera then focused on Will Shuester as he told everybody, "_Auditions for the new Marley are being held tomorrow at four, so come here if you want to be a star!_"

"_Goodbye teenage Lima!"_ the council yelled along with Will.

"Goodbye!" Mercedes and Kurt yelled back, before Kurt switched off the television.

"Oh my God!" Mercedes cried, jumping up and down excitedly, "You have to audition, Kurt! We both have to!"

"Yes! We need to decide on audition songs ASAP. I claim 'I'm the Greatest Star' by the greatest star, Barbra Streisand," Kurt said immediately.

Mercedes gasped, "Oh my God, you're going to be so awesome!"

"I know. Oh my God, what am I going to wear? I need to make a whole new outfit for tomorrow!" Kurt said, alarmed. He was about to go into his bedroom to look in his fabric box when the front door slammed from the hallway.

"Kurt?" Burt yelled as he walked into the kitchen, "You home?"

"Oh my God," Kurt whispered to Mercedes, "I'm working after school tomorrow."

"I'm sure your dad will let you audition, right?" Mercedes shrugged, "He's so much nicer than my parents. All they care about is whether I'm following God's orders and all that."

"Sure," Kurt said as he walked over to the kitchen. "Dad?" he said, "I got back around three."

"Right. Mercedes over?" Burt asked as he walked over to the fridge and took out a beer. He opened the drawer with all the utensils in and pulled out the bottle opener as he leant on the kitchen counter.

"Yes," Mercedes said, emerging from the living room behind Kurt, "If that's okay, Mr Hummel?"

"I told you, none of this 'Mr Hummel' business. Call me Burt," Burt insisted as he opened the beer bottle. He caught the cap with his other hand and then placed it on the counter with the bottle opener.

"Sorry, Burt," Mercedes mumbled.

"So, Kurt, have a good day at school?"

"Same old, same old. The jocks were stupid, the lessons were easy and Brittany cheated off me in French again."

"Only a few years left though, right? Then you can do whatever the hell you want."

"Speaking of which," Kurt said, taking that as his cue, "I can't work tomorrow."

"Why not?" Burt said as he opened his beer, "You know you work every Wednesday and Friday after school."

"There are auditions for the Will Shuester show," Kurt said, leaning on the kitchen island.

"Really? And is Mercedes auditioning too?"

"Yes," Mercedes said and then Kurt realised she was holding her school bag in her hand. "Actually," she said as she walked over to the door that lead into the entrance hallway, "I think I'm going to go home and practise. Is that okay, Kurt?"

"Are you sure?" Kurt asked. Mercedes usually didn't leave until it was at least half six. It was only quarter to four now.

"Yeah. See you tomorrow for rehearsals after school, right?"

"Sure. Bye!" Kurt said.

"Bye Burt. See you tomorrow, Kurt!" Mercedes said before leaving.

"Good kid, that Mercedes," Burt said as soon as her heard the front door close, "Shame no-one else sees her that way."

"They will one day, Dad."

"I sure hope so. Now this audition, you sure they'll be looking for… you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Kurt," Burt began, "The world we live in… it's not like here. People are judged solely on first impressions and appearances, and... some people judge other people too easily. If you're not like anyone else, they strike back. And you, kid, you're special. You're not like any of the others, but you're something new and original. You know that, I know that, Mercedes knows that. But they don't."

"Dad, I'm in _high school_. I think I know about all this."

"I'm just saying, I don't mind you trying to get out there and show the rest of the world your talent. But sometimes… sometimes the rest of the world don't want to hear it."

"I know, Dad. But they will, I'm sure! And if they don't I'll make them. Mercedes and I'll perform at the mall again!"

"Okay. But I'm here for you, okay? Whatever happens, you got that?"

"Yes, Dad. Can I go?"

"Sure," Burt said, and Kurt smiled, running into his bedroom to start rehearsing for his audition. It was, after all, tomorrow and he had a lot to do before then. He might even cut school to practise. Either way, he was going to be fantastic no matter what.


	2. (The Legend of) Miss Sylvester

The school bell rang loudly as Kurt sat in History class, tapping his pen against the wooden desk. The other students shoved things into their bags but Kurt lingered for a few seconds, watching as the class began to filter out and in particular the one boy that he had sat behind since he found out they had a class together.

It was a convenient arrangement; Blaine never got to know about Kurt's unrequited love, and Kurt got to stare at Blaine to his heart's contempt without anybody noticing. It was a win-win situation.

As the last students left the now empty classroom, Kurt packed away his own books into his bag and slung it over his shoulder. He walked out of the classroom in a brisk place, eager to get to his car.

The universe, however, had other ideas.

"Hey fag!" a jock yelled from the side of the parking lot that was opposite to where Kurt was at that moment, and just happened to be near Kurt's car.

"Not now Karofsky," Kurt yelled back, clutching his satchel a little bit harder and quickening his pace slightly. The jock, Karofsky, just laughed, walking over to Kurt's car.

"You gonna be cured later?" Karofsky asked and Kurt rolled his eyes, trying to get to his car as soon as possible. On what appeared to be the same brainwave Karofsky walked over to the driver's car door, leant his arms on the hood and watched Kurt walk over to him.

"I'm not sick," Kurt just replied, finally reaching the car. He walked around to where Karofsky stood and Karofsky turned around so that he was facing Kurt. He stepped out of the way of the car door, and instead leant on the bonnet. For a second Kurt almost thought he would sit on it, and leave a Karofsky-shaped dent on one of his most prized possessions.

"You sure? Seriously, there's this guy on the other side of town-" Karofsky began but Kurt dismissed him, waving his hand while trying to unlock his car.

"I'm not interested, nor will I ever be. I'm perfectly fine with what I am, and what I am is on the way to a potential new role on a very popular show."

"You're sick, man. You're disgusting. You're an abomination, and you should just be put down, like a dog, 'cause you're going to Hell anyway." Karofsky said, his eyes looking up, as if he was repeating what he had been told countless times. That wasn't _that_ weird though; the homophobes ran out of valid points years ago.

"I don't care," Kurt replied sharply, finally pulling his car door open and slipping inside the safety of the car as hastily as he could. He threw his satchel onto the back seat and breathed a sigh of relief.

He was about to start the car when he realised that Karofsky was now standing at the back of the car, meaning that Kurt couldn't reverse out of his parking space.

Kurt pulled his car window down and poked his head out of the window so that he could see the jock blocking him from exiting the parking lot. "What do you want, Karofsky? 'Cause I swear that if you don't move in thirty seconds I'm reversing this car out anyway."

Karofsky stood there for a few more seconds, before moving out of the way. "You need help," he told Kurt as Kurt pulled his window back up and began reversing out of the parking space.

"I honestly don't," Kurt said as he drove away from Karofsky and onwards towards WMS.

If anything, the latest outburst of hate towards him just made him even more determined to prove them wrong.

The drive to the studio was uneventful and when he arrived there five minutes later than the time he'd agreed to meet Mercedes, she was waiting for him with her arms crossed and an annoyed expression etched onto her face.

"Where've you been?" Mercedes asked.

"Hit traffic," Kurt shrugged, grabbing his satchel from the back seat and stepping out of his car. Mercedes raised her eyebrows and unfolded her arms, clearly not believing him.

"Well we've gotta go in," Mercedes gestured to the studio door, where a number of other women were stood around, waiting.

"So much for extra vocal warm-up time," Kurt murmured, pulling out his sheet music out of his satchel.

"Next time don't sit around watching Anderson's ass walk out of the classroom," Mercedes said, unamused by his lame excuse.

"It's the highlight of my day," Kurt shrugged as they walked over to join the gang of girls at the door. "It would be like missing the latest Will Shuester Show."

"Or the greatest audition of your teenage life," Mercedes added.

"Listen up!" a short, blonde girl who Kurt recognised from the show said as she opened the studio door and let everyone in. "Miss Sylvester wants you in the studio now to prepare for a group audition for _Hard Day's Night_!"

"Oh God," Kurt said as everybody but he and Mercedes raced inside, desperate to be ready for the oncoming audition. "What am I even doing here? They'll take one look at me and ask me to leave," Kurt said, shaking his head and holding his hands to his mouth.

"Hey, they'll love you," Mercedes consoled, "Now come on. We've got to prove them wrong." She held out her arm and Kurt slid his own through the gap, grasping onto her hold. "We will," he smiled, thinking of the conversation he'd had with Karofsky earlier.

When they entered the cast were assembled, preparing for a song that Kurt assumed was going to be on next week's show. His eyes immediately fell to Blaine, who was standing next to the piano with Rachel, and apparently going through yet another duet they shared.

Finn was talking avidly to Puck and an Asian man, who were both trying to teach Finn the Madison dance at the same time. By the way Puck clenching his fists every time Finn took a step wrong, it clearly wasn't going well.

The possible replacements stood behind the cameras in awe, and Kurt and Mercedes soon joined them.

"This the new lot?" a tall woman with short hair asked. She had a megaphone in one hand, a clipboard in the other and wore a suit. From the look on her face, Kurt could tell that she definitely didn't want to be there.

"Yes, Miss Sylvester. Will there be anything else?" the girl asked, looking up to the manager.

"Get me a protein shake, Becky," Miss Sylvester commanded as she walked around the potentials, eyes like a hawk. She reached one girl, a petit girl dressed in a white blouse and a poodle skirt, and snapped, "You're out." Kurt jumped, not quite sure what he expected her to say, but it definitely wasn't _that_.  
"W-what?" the girl squeaked, clearly very nervous.

"Too short. You think the camera's going to see you when it's panning over the cast? No, there's just going to be an empty space where a normal-sized girl should be," Miss Sylvester exclaimed

"But I'm only 4 foot-" the girl began, but was shushed immediately by Miss Sylvester, who was bringing up the megaphone to her lips and bending down so that she was around the same height as the girl.

"I don't care how tall you are, you're not getting the role." Miss Sylvester said through the megaphone, "Get out."

"Thank you," the girl mumbled before running toward the door that had lead them into the studio.

Kurt shared a look with Mercedes, both afraid that Miss Sylvester would dismiss them for various different reasons. They didn't need to speak; they both knew very well the reasons why.

She then went on to dismiss two other people, one for having too much acne and the other for looking 'too much like our resident man-child'.

When she reached Kurt and Mercedes, she walked past them, but then turned around and Kurt knew that that would be the end.

"I'm sorry, I thought you were a girl. Do you realise that this is for females only?" Miss Sylvester shrugged, and Kurt thought of something to say, a witty comeback or

"Yes, but- I mean, I'm sure you'll find Marley's replacement but I thought I would show you my singing talent."

"Well if it looks like a girl and talks like a girl," Miss Sylvester shrugged, "You sing like a girl too?"

"Some people would say so. I have a very unique vocal range. I'm a countertenor."

"I have no idea what that is but it sounds like a winner. Go ahead, then. Surprise everybody with your feminine singing voice."

"Okay. Right," Kurt cleared his throat. This was his moment.

"_Yeah I'll tell you something, I think you'll understand_," Kurt began, "_When I say that something, I want to hold your hand._"

"_I want to hold your ha_-" Kurt continued, but was interrupted by Miss Sylvester who raised her hand to silence him.

"That'll be enough Lady," Miss Sylvester said, and Kurt opened his mouth to reply but was silenced again by a look from Mercedes.

"Thank you," he said instead.

"Right. Well, Porcelain, however lady-like your singing voice is I'm afraid I can't allow you to audition for this show due to the fact that you are not a lady."

"'Cause he sounds like a girl?" Mercedes asked, finally speaking up.

"No, Aretha Franklin, not because he's a girl. Because he's not what I'm looking for."

"Can't you make an exception?" Kurt pleaded.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave, and take your black sidekick with you. His Royal Highness William Shuester of Ridiculous Hairdom doesn't like to be around black people."

"What? You're making her leave because she's _black_? I thought you people were over this!"

"Not my problem. However, Wavy Gravy's contract states that he is unable to be within thirty metres of a black person as he will scream like a little girl if that happens, and the little elves living in his hair will all think that he is in danger and attack," Miss Sylvester informed them in one breath, barely blinking.

"Fine," Kurt said, grabbing Mercedes wrist and storming out of the studio. Mercedes followed, but not before sending an angry glance at Miss Sylvester.

"What are we going to do?" Mercedes whispered as they opened the door out onto the entrance of WMS. Out on the parking lot sat both Mercedes and Kurt's cars, side-by-side.

"We'll get in, we'll just have to try harder," Kurt tried to convince both him and Mercedes, but he knew at least that he wasn't convincing himself.

He thought vaguely of his dreams of finally speaking to Blaine being crushed, and stopped as they were about to cross the road over to the parking lot.

That was it.

He'd have to blackmail Finn. Surely Finn had a say, considering he was on the show and could barely dance. Maybe he'd be able to persuade Rachel to help him, and Rachel would certainly be able to help. She was Will Shuester's Favourite, after all.

"What now Mercedes asked, crossing her arms and raising her eyebrows.

"I think I know how we're going to get in," Kurt said, smirking widely.

"Oh yeah? Magic?" Mercedes said back.

"Rachel Berry, actually."

"So magic, then."

"Oh ye of little faith," Kurt said, walking forward to Mercedes and linking his arm through her own. They continued walking to their cars, and he took a deep breath before announcing, "I'm going back on my promise to Finn."

"What?" Mercedes exclaimed, unlinking their arms, "You're going to tell Blaine?"

"Not exactly. I'll tell you when we get to my house, okay?" Kurt suggested. He didn't want to talk about it when Rachel Berry was close. It was more than likely that she or one of her minions were watching them right now. The thought tickled Kurt's spine.

"Sure. My mom's not expecting me to be back until six anyway."

Kurt fished his car keys out of his pocket and unlocked his car door as Mercedes did so to her own car. "See you in a minute!" he said before stepping in.

The memories of his encounter with Karofsky earlier that afternoon and all the other times that had happened before flooded his head, and he sighed, clutching his steering wheel and resting his head onto it for a few seconds. He watched Mercedes reverse out of her parking space and as she drove towards Kurt's house. Sighing, he did the same.

He was determined to prove that jock and every other goddamn homophobic person in South Western Ohio wrong.

Even if he had to ruin his relationship with his future step-brother in order to do so.


	3. I Can Hear The Bells

_Author's Note: Thanks for all the favourites and story follows and reviews, guys! They really mean a lot to me. Highlights of my week, most definitely._

"And then I thought perhaps we'd sing a duet, something from the latest Billboard of course," Rachel said as they walked through the school corridors. The other students rushed past them, but their pace was slow as they approached Rachel's locker. Blaine's own locker was on the other side of the school near the science labs and he needed to get his books for next lesson, but he had always gone to it after he'd seen Rachel off to her next lesson. He was a gentleman, after all.

Blaine nodded his head in agreement and smiled a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. All he and Rachel talked about was singing, and that took up enough of his life as it was. He loved singing, and his passion for it was like nothing else, but he wanted there to be something in his life that didn't directly revolve around singing. Like, for example, his girlfriend. Though really, she was more of a girl-friend at the moment; they hadn't kissed off-camera for weeks, and he knew that she was off canoodling Finn Hudson whenever she got the chance.

"Yeah, but wouldn't it be better if we didn't do something off the charts for once?" he suggested.

"Oh. I thought you liked doing new songs?" Rachel asked, her brows knotting together slightly. Then her face lit up, as she thought of all the possibilities. "In that case, what about West Side Story? We could sing the Tonight Quintet. Or Somewhere! Obviously we'd have to edit them, because there are so many parts, but I think it would suit our voices perfectly."

"Or we could do One Hand, One Heart?" Blaine suggested, "I mean, it's a duet, right?" Blaine slipped his hand into Rachel's and smiled. "I think we would be perfect for it."

"Oh my Gosh! How could I ever not consider it? We have to tell Mr Shue!" Rachel said. They had reached her locker and she was unlocking it with an urgent pace. When the locker was unlocked she pulled out several of her books, and handed them to Blaine. Blaine carried them dutifully as they walked back up the corridor to Rachel's next class.

"Well we've got a rehearsal tonight, so maybe then? We could practise beforehand, in case he wants us to run through it," Blaine proposed, trying to remember which class Rachel had next.

"Tonight? I'm sorry Blaine, I'm busy practising. Quinn and I are singing together again," Rachel said, swinging her arms down in front of her.

Blaine sighed. He liked Rachel, he honestly did - it was just that he felt that all she wanted him to be was her duet partner. Never her friend.

"That's cool. Guess I'll see you at rehearsal?"

"Great! I have to go to Math now, and I have Sewing Club at lunch so I guess I won't be seeing you until tonight," Rachel said, taking her books from Blaine's arms. Blaine relaxed as the heavy weight was lifted from his arms and he leant in to kiss Rachel, except her lips moved so that he kissed her cheek instead. He sighed internally, but only said, "That's fine."

He watched as Rachel walked over to Finn, who was standing on the other side of the corner and trying hard not to be seen by Blaine, judging by the fact he only appeared once every few seconds, when his head would poke out from behind the wall. Rachel greeted Finn with a smile, and Blaine saw them walk back around the corner, arm in arm. Blaine figured he wouldn't be seeing Rachel until the rehearsals at WMS later in the day.

He turned around and walked around the school to where his locker was, over by the Science labs. He had a free period next, and he was planning on spending it practising in the music room.

However, on his way from his locker to the music room he saw _them_.

There, at the end of the corridor, stood Kurt Hummel and Mercedes Jones. The school was literally buzzing with gossip about them from the auditions that had happened yesterday. The fact that Kurt Hummel had actually walked into an audition for a female role, accompanied by his female, black friend (and Blaine knew for a fact that Mr Shue hated black people more than he hated Miss Sylvester and fake pregnancies), and had then walked out again only minutes later proved that he was most definitely _something_.

And nobody, nobody at all, ever walked out on Sue Sylvester. Nobody except Kurt Hummel and his best friend, Mercedes Jones.

Everyone knew who Kurt was. He was the 'Town Homosexual, the only fag in all of Lima, and that made him one of the most unpopular kids in the town. Parents told their children not to go near him, told them he was the spawn of the Devil and that he'd spread his sickness onto you if you got too close. Kids stared at him constantly, whispering to each other, and then yelling insults at him. And yet, in the midst of getting shoved into a row of lockers, Kurt showed no sign of pain or even annoyance. It was one of the reasons Blaine admired him so much.

Blaine himself had been told that by his parents to stay away, but he still couldn't see why. He got it. Kurt liked boys. He'd heard that people like him lived in San Francisco and New York and big cities like that, and he knew for a fact that Kurt wouldn't stick around in small-town Ohio and would probably end up moving to one of those cities one day.

He never saw homosexuality as a sickness, though; if there wasn't really anybody else in town who was like him (apart from Rachel's dad and his friend – though he was sure Kurt didn't know about that), and his dad wasn't either then where did it come from?

It was then, as Kurt turned to look at him, that he realised he was staring. He looked to the floor, and then decided that if he was going to actually make it to class he'd have to look up. So he did, he glanced his head up and noticed that Kurt was the one staring now.

It wasn't out of curiosity; that much was clear. Kurt already knew about Blaine, probably much more than Blaine knew about him. It was with something Blaine wasn't aware of, something he had never been familiar with. It made him get a warm feeling in his stomach, one he dismissed immediately.

Blaine looked away again, breaking the staring contest that was between them. Sighing as he glanced at his watch, he made his way to the music room.

The music room was an empty classroom with a piano and several chairs placed randomly. Since the school didn't actually teach music as a subject, the students had petitioned for the room to exist for years until Mr Shue persuaded WMS to donate enough money to the school for the piano to be bought and the music room to be created.

Nobody was in the room when Blaine arrived, fortunately, and Blaine sat on the piano stool. He opened up the piano, ran his fingers along the keys and then played a few chords to test it.

He pulled out some sheet music from his bag, and began to play the opening chords of '_Love Is All Around'_. It had been a while since he'd had a chance to play on the piano; at the studio they had a hired pianist named Brad, and Rachel always insisted on a band to play during their duets.

"_I feel it in my fingers_," he began, "_I feel it in my toes_." The next line came easily to him, and the next and the next. He let the music drown him, the words mindlessly spilling from his mind.

He pondered on his situation with Rachel, and her apparent relationship with Finn.

He'd figured it out a few weeks ago when he'd seen them kissing in the Geography classroom – not that they knew, of course. They were still convinced he had no idea.

As soon as he'd seen them, locked in a tight embrace with their eyes closed and tongues down each other's' throat, he stormed off. Because that was what you did when you found out your girlfriend was cheating on you, right? You got angry. You attacked her fellow adulterer, you yelled, or you stormed off. Blaine, however, had barely felt a thing.

It hurt a bit - it was more of a trust issue than an actual betrayal – but then he realised that he felt absolutely nothing for Rachel.

He knew it wouldn't be long before Rachel would want to break up with him, officially, so he was prepared to do it for her.

"_You know I love you, I always will,_" Blaine sung, "_My mind's made up by the way that I feel_."

"_There's no beginning, they'll be no end. 'Cause on my love, you can depend_," a new voice sung with Blaine, and Blaine stopped, turning to see who it was that was singing.

There, standing in front of him with his hand on his hip and a smile on his face, was Kurt Hummel.

"Don't stop on my account," Kurt said, "You're really good."

Blaine shook his head, closed the piano with a loud _thump_ and took the sheet music off the stand. "It's okay. I wasn't really into it anyway. And you're good too."

"Sorry?" Kurt said, eyebrows knotted together in a frown. He guessed Kurt didn't really get complimented often.

"Singing. I saw you yesterday, when you sung that Beatles song too." He was telling the truth – Kurt's voice had rung out in the studio like that of an angel's. Gosh, that was corny. Where'd that come from?

Anyway, so Kurt's voice was really good. Like, _really_, really good. He'd fit into the show, with his unique voice and amazing dancing ability. Well, Blaine had never seen him dance, but he was probably a good dancer. He looked like he was a good dancer anyway.

"Don't be. I knew I wasn't going to get in, I just wanted to show them I was better. For once." Kurt almost seemed sad. It was unfamiliar, considering he'd never seen Kurt without his head held high. Until now.

"You are better. It takes guts to do something like that," he consoled. He stood up from the piano and walked over, putting the sheet music back into his bag. Kurt watched him, eyes wide and seemingly only fixed on him.

"Audition for a girl's part?"

"I guess. I mean, people round here are barely getting over racism. For someone of your…" he paused, trying to find the right words, "sexual orientation to stand up to them, it takes courage. You're very courageous." Very good, Anderson. You have such a way with words.

"Thanks? I guess I am quite courageous. You have to be pretty awesome though, to put up with Rachel Berry every day."

"She grows on you. I barely see her now anyway. She's always with Finn."

"Finn?" Kurt tilted his head, and Blaine had a feeling he knew too.

"Yeah. Aren't you his step-brother or something?" Blaine of course knew this already; Rachel had gone on about singing at their parents' wedding for weeks.

"Yeah. I didn't realise you knew about them."

"I've known for ages."

"And you haven't done anything?"

"What's there to do?"

"Fight? Get angry? Break up with her?"

"It was never a real relationship anyway."

"Right. You seemed pretty close on your show, though."

"Keeping up appearances, I guess. Rachel's really big on that."

"Awesome. I mean, uh, that's… bad. Very bad."

"I guess so," Blaine smiled. "You know what? I think I could probably get you on the show." He thought it a firm possibility, considering Miss Sylvester had wanted to annoy Mr Shue for ages. Hiring a gay man with a unique – if quite high- voice would definitely do that. And hey, if Kurt got something out of that then all was well.

"Really? You're serious?" Kurt's face lit up, and that feeling in Blaine's stomach returned again. He decided he liked it when Kurt was happy.

"Absolutely. I've got a rehearsal at five, do you want to come with me? We can go see Miss Sylvester then."

"That would be… amazing. Thank you so much," Kurt gushed.

"You have a talent. People should be able to hear you, no matter what. Right?"

"Wow. Nobody here really understands me like that."

"I just don't see what's different about you."

"That I'm a homosexual?"

"Yeah. But," he cleared his throat, "Rachel's dad has… a friend. Sometimes when I'm over at hers, her father and his friend… do stuff. Like, kissing stuff." He knew Rachel had told him in confidential, but Kurt was gay anyway, right? He wouldn't go around telling people. He didn't seem that kind of guy.

"And his friend is… male?"

"Yeah. What I'm saying is, there are more gay people in this town then you'd think."

"Apparently so," Kurt said, stepping closer.

"So I'll pick you up at your dad's garage at quarter to five, yeah?"

"It's a date!" Kurt said, then clasp his hand over his mouth, "Except it's not. Because you like girls. Not boys. Not me," Kurt jabbered, his eyes growing wider by the second.

_Because you like girls. _Yeah, that was right. He liked girls. And then he wondered, for one second, the thought that had been circulating his head for days: but did he like girls as anything more than friends?

"Relax," he said, resting a hand on Kurt's shoulder, "It's cool." Kurt stared at his hand, tensing up, and then back at Blaine. For a second he was certain he'd overstepped his boundary, but then Kurt relaxed into the touch, his shoulders lowering.

"Oh. Thanks."

"No problem," he tapped Kurt's shoulder lightly and then removed his hand. Kurt was staring at him again, and Blaine was unsure about the little flutter in his chest he got whenever he saw Kurt's eyes on him.

He smiled at Kurt again and said, "Well, I've got to find Sam so I guess I'll see you later?"

"Yeah. 'Course. Bye," Kurt said happily as Blaine left the room.

As he walked down the corridor, he was sure he heard the opening chords of _Love is All Around_, and then the first verse in Kurt's voice. He was almost tempted to go back and join in, but he continued walking nonetheless, smiling to himself.


	4. It Takes Two (He's Got the Coolest Hair)

The hours following Blaine's conversation with Kurt had been a blur, consisting mostly of lessons and then a further hour spent figuring out how exactly Blaine was going to get Miss Sylvester to speak to Kurt, never mind persuading her that making Lima's most unpopular teenager join a group of Lima's most popular teenagers was a good idea.

After he'd left his house half an hour early to pick up Kurt, strangely nervous, Blaine had a slow drive to the street next to Kurt's, and parked his car next to the sidewalk. Around the corner was Hummel Tire & Lube, Kurt's father's garage, and then next door to that was the Hummel house. It would only take him a moment to drive round, and turning up early would make Blaine look weird. So, he decided, that waiting around the corner would be easiest.

He spent the first ten minutes reflecting back on how he'd joined _The Will Shuester Show_, back when the show had been nothing more than an idea. It had happened when Will Shuester and Sue Sylvester had walked into one of his old glee club's classes and proposed that every member of the glee club should join the cast of the show. The glee club had, of course, been thrilled and soon enough the show was on air with Blaine and Rachel in the lead. Not long after, glee club ended due to nobody having time to go to any of the classes anymore.

Blaine checked his watch for the third time. He didn't want to be too earlier, but he didn't want to be late either.

On his fourth glance, when it was exactly 4:29, he decided that that time was on time enough, and he'd spend that extra minute driving to the garage anyway. He restarted the car and drove forward and round the corner, where the garage and the house next door sat.

A man dressed in overalls and a baseball cap was working on one of the cars at the front of the garage, and Blaine assumed this man to be Kurt's father. Blaine stepped out of his car and onto the concrete pavement that ran beside the road.

Mr Hummel waved at Blaine, put down his tools and walked over. "What can I do for ya?" Mr Hummel asked, taking off his cap and wiping the beads of sweat that had previously clung to his forehead away with his handkerchief.

"Oh! I'm here for Kurt, actually," Blaine told him.

Mr Hummel raised an eyebrow and leant on the bonnet of the car he'd been working on, "So you're the famous Blaine Anderson, huh?"

"I wouldn't say famous, sir. I'm just a kid," Blaine said. Okay, so he _was_ the lead soloist on a show broadcast all over Lima, but he'd bet that if you went over to Westerville or Columbus they wouldn't give a rat's ass about who Blaine Anderson was. He'd heard that Westerville was crazy about some other teen show called _The Warblers._

"Well Kurt talks about you like you are," Mr Hummel told him, and Blaine's lips twitched. He had no idea Kurt talked about him like that. It was… adorable.

"You're on that show, right?" Mr Hummel said, turning around and beginning to work on the car again.

"The Will Shuester show? Yeah, I am."

"Pretty good, from what I hear. Kurt loves it. Him and Mercedes are singing with the TV every Tuesday, I'm telling ya." He pointed his spanner at Blaine and cleared his throat, "But you're okay with him being gay, right?"

"Yeah, of course," Blaine shrugged.

Kurt appeared from a doorway in the garage. His face lit up when he saw Blaine standing there, and Blaine found another way that Kurt could be adorable.

He was dressed in a simple pair of drainpipe jeans partnered with a sweater vest and a fetching fedora. It suited him.

"Are you done grilling him?" Kurt asked, clearly unamused. Blaine wondered whether any other Kurt's other friends had been asked the same questions.

"Guess I am. So you gonna be back late or what?"

"Rehearsals finish at eight, so if we are in luck and we do persuade Miss Sylvester then I'll bring him back around then," Blaine informed Mr Hummel. He turned to Kurt, "Is that okay?"

"That's fine," Kurt shrugged, "So are we going to go?"

"Yeah, sure. Bye Mr Hummel," Blaine waved at Mr Hummel. Mr Hummel waved back.

"See ya, Blaine. And if you wanna stay out a bit longer, Kurt's curfew's at ten," Mr Hummel told him.

"_Dad_," Kurt moaned and then turned to Blaine, "We don't have to stay out until ten, unless that's what you want."

"I'm okay with whatever you want," Blaine said. He didn't have anything to do that night apart from the rehearsal and Kurt seemed like a cool guy anyway.

"Right. This your car?" Kurt walked outside the garage and pointed at Blaine's car.

"Yeah." Blaine nodded, opening the passenger door for Kurt. Kurt smiled as he stepped in, and then looked around at the interior of the car.

"Nice ride. Cadillac?"

"Yeah. It was a birthday present from my parents," Blaine said as he got into the driver's seat. He put in his keys and started the engine and looked behind, driving the car out of the street.

"Woah. Your parents must be _loaded_," Kurt exclaimed. Blaine pursed his lips together; he got that enough. "They're comfortable, I guess. So do you sing a lot?" He knew he was changing the subject, but that last thing he wanted to talk about was his _parents_.

"All the time. Ask my dad – I swear he has earplugs permanently installed in his ears just so he can't hear me."

Blaine laughed, "If I was able to listen to you sing all the time I wouldn't be wearing them."

"Thank you," Kurt said, blushing. He smiled widely, and Blaine found that he liked it when Kurt smiled. It settled a strange feeling in his stomach, watching Kurt's eyes twinkle, his nose crinkle and his cheeks dimple. (Seriously, Blaine? Rhyming features now? What is wrong with you?)

"You're voice is amazing. To be honest, I'm surprised Miss Sylvester hasn't grabbed you already," Blaine said. Kurt went redder, until he composed himself and gazed out of the window as he sighed, "I think I know why."

"Relax, she's not like _that_. Got a sister with cerebral palsy, or something. Okay, she hates everybody in general, but she has no prejudice. The only person you'll have to be weary of is Will Shuester, the man himself. He's quite…" Blaine searched for the right word.

"Homophobic?" Kurt asked frankly.

Blaine sighed, "Pretty much."

"And the rest of the cast? Are they homophobic too?"

"Rachel's definitely not, obviously, and neither is Finn. I'm not too sure about the others, though. It's never really come up. I think most of them will be okay with it though."

"I wouldn't count on it," Kurt said, "If my daily trips to the dumpster have anything to do with it."

"Wait, what?" Blaine said, turning towards Kurt. He remembered then that he was driving, and turned his eyes back to the road. It didn't stop him from glancing at Kurt every so often, though.

"Puckerman, the delight he is, makes sure I visit the dumpster at least once a day. Usually accompanied by a few shoves. So think again before you say they're okay with it."

"Wow," Blaine said, "I'm sorry, Kurt. I didn't know."

"Ignorance is bliss."

"No, Kurt," Blaine said, "Ignorance is why this is happening to you. Prejudice is just ignorance." Blaine pursed his lips, "I'm sorry I didn't know. You shouldn't have to put up with that."

"I think I'm lucky, to be honest. If I was elsewhere, or my dad wasn't nearly as excepting at he is… I don't think I'd be as happy as I am now, to say the least. But it's not ideal, and I just hope that one day it will be different."

The rest of the drive went by in an awkward silence where Blaine couldn't think of anything to say that would improve the situation. Instead Kurt looked out of the window and he focused on the road, both of them sneaking glances at each other every so often.

When they arrived at the studio the car park was nearly full, but that didn't make it any harder to find a space. So he drove in, parked, got out of his car and walked around to open the car door for Kurt.

"Thank you," Kurt said as he stepped out, and Blaine could see the barely-contained smile on his face. Which was good; he liked making Kurt smile.

"Let's go," Blaine said, "No time like the present." He made his way over to the studio's front door, Kurt following behind him.

"Nervous?" Blaine asked. Kurt raised an eyebrow at him, as if the answer was obvious. Which, he guessed, it was.

"Boo!" called out a voice at the studio door, and Blaine saw Brittany and Tina waiting for him, inside. He entered with a large grin on his face. "Hey," he said to them, "Am I really that late?"

"No, we just wanted to see you," Tina reasoned, "I haven't seen you since first lesson." It was then that she noticed Kurt, and said, "What's he doing here?"

"Yeah, you're not supposed to take dolphins away from the sea. They get sick and die," Brittany said. Blaine found that confusing; Brittany had never referred to anyone else other than him as a dolphin before.

"We're trying to persuade Miss Sylvester to let him join the cast. Have you heard him sing? He's amazing." Blaine looked over to Kurt, who was standing with his head held high and his shoulders back. Kurt blushed at Blaine's compliment, his eyes looking down to the floor.

"Do you want to make out?" Brittany asked Kurt.

"No, sorry."

"Why not? I've kissed every boy in the school but you. And Blaine," they both glanced at Blaine and Blaine smiled awkwardly – he never really found the right time to kiss Brittany, and unlike all the other guys he actually liked taking girls out on dates before he kissed them.

"I'm not interested in girls, Brittany," Kurt said, "I prefer kissing boys."

"Is that like lady kisses?" Blaine had heard these mentioned a few times. As far as he knew, they were just another thing that Brittany knew about that nobody else understood, like her fondness for calling him and apparently now Kurt dolphins.

"I'm not sure what they are," Kurt frowned.

"Santana says it's like kissing, but it doesn't count," and there was the explanation Blaine had been looking for.

"Santana kisses you?"

"Yeah."

"Santana Lopez? The cheerleader?" Kurt asked, eyes lighting up like he'd just heard The Beatles had pulled into Lima for an impromptu performance on the roof of his house. It was then that Blaine caught up to what Kurt was thinking – and Santana Lopez liked kissing _girls_? He sure hadn't expected that.

"Is there any other Santana?" Brittany asked.

"No. But… wow. I didn't know she liked… lady kisses."

"Anyway. So do you want to make out or what?" Brittany raised an eyebrow expectantly and put a hand on her hip.

"Brittany, I already said that I don't want to."

"Do dolphins only like kissing each other?"

"I'm not sure."

"Blaine's a dolphin, aren't you Blaine?" Blaine shrugged. "You two should kiss."

"I'm not sure-" Kurt began, turning red as a beetroot. Blaine himself was left speechless, unsure what to say.

It was then that – thank God – Tina showed up and informed them, "Miss Sylvester is in her office now. Alone."

"Thanks, T," Blaine said, thankfully for the digression, "I guess Kurt and I'll go and get Kurt on the show then."

They walked over to the office and Blaine tapped lightly on Miss Sylvester's office door and waited for Miss Sylvester to reply her sharp, "Come in!"

When she did Blaine smiled at Kurt before pushing the door open and walking into the office.

"Mini-Shuester, how nice it is of you to drop in," Miss Sylvester said, "Has the big one finally kicked the bucket?" Kurt frowned at that comment, but Blaine just said a simple "No, Miss Sylvester."

"Why've you interrupted my daily heckling session, then?"

"I was wondering if you would allow someone, uh," he introduce Kurt with a wave of the arm, "Kurt Hummel, into our cast."

"Porcelain? The one that auditioned with the girls?"

"That was a mental relapse, Miss Sylvester, I'll admit," Kurt said, "I apologise for disrupting your rehearsal like that."

"Don't worry, I have more trouble with Little Miss Barbra Streisand."

"That's Rachel," Blaine whispered to Kurt, helpfully. "Miss Sylvester, Kurt would be a great asset to our class, and I honestly think that you would be missing a great opportunity if you didn't let him join."

"You think that I should allow this boy into your land of misfit toys?" Miss Sylvester raised her eyebrows and sat back in her seat.

"He's a great fit," Blaine suggested, "I'm sure he gets on well with a lot of people. And he can sing really well."

"And he's homosexual?" No doubt Miss Sylvester knew of Kurt's reputation – everyone did – but Blaine would never think for a second that that would matter to her at all.

"I'm sorry, Miss Sylvester, but how is my sexual orientation relevant?" Kurt replied. Blaine was proud of him at that moment, and knew immediately that that question would win him a spot on their show.

Miss Sylvester pursed her lips, deep in thought. "Fair point, Porcelain. I'll let you audition again."

"Really? Thank you so much!" Kurt was grinning now, and Blaine thought that happiness looked good on him. His nose crinkled, his face lit up and little dimples appeared on the sides of his mouth. To say the least, Kurt looked adorable.

"But any funny business and you'll be back on the streets of Loserville, not questions asked. Clear?" Miss Sylvester raised her eyebrows and Blaine nodded so hard he swore his head was about to fall off. "You won't regret it, Miss Sylvester."

"Same goes to you too, B. If he goes, you go." Miss Sylvester told him, and Blaine completely expected that. He knew the risks of brining Kurt onto the show, but if it made him happy (and, hey, he was adorable when he was happy) then so be it.

"Now go," Miss Sylvester said, kicking them out of the room, "You're making the room smell like Will Shuester, with all that gel in your hair. The last thing I need is a town of elves mistaking here for Will Shuester's hair and hibernating."

So they walked out, both of them now grinning.

"Blaine!" Finn cried, running over, "How'd you manage to walk out of Miss Sylvester office smiling?"

"With persuasion on Kurt's part," Blaine said, gesturing to Kurt. Kurt shrugged awkwardly, and then turned to Blaine and bartered, "Really, Blaine, it was all that Hollywood charm that oozes from you."

"Don't be modest, Kurt," Blaine said, "You deserve that compliment."

Kurt blushed, "Thank you."

"Finn and I know all about Kurt's… persuasive techniques," Rachel said, her arm linking through Blaine's as she reached them, snapping Kurt and Blaine out of their _friendly_ banter. Blaine watched her look at Finn for a second, and then back to Blaine, "I had no idea Kurt would be joining us. Why didn't you tell me?"

"It just kind of happened," Blaine shrugged. "I heard him singing early, and I just knew he had to join us."

"It's so sweet of you to help him out like that," Rachel said, "You're so thoughtful." She laced their hands together and rested her head on his shoulder in an act that had been the most they'd touched in weeks.

"Thanks?" Blaine said, unsure on Rachel's actions. She was never as complimentary or generally _nice_ as she was being at the moment, unless there was an ulterior motive. "Are you okay? You're not always so…" Blaine searched for the right word, "_Receptive_ to a new member."

"Kurt and I have been friends for a while," Rachel said, and Blaine suspected that that wasn't quite true. He knew, in fact – Kurt had never been mentioned by Rachel in any of their conversations.

"Have we?" Kurt asked confirming Blaine's suspicions. Rachel narrowed her eyes at him, opening her mouth to say, "Yes, Kurt, do you not remember that time-" but was interrupted by Finn's gibbering.

"D'you we're gonna be step-brothers?" Finn babbled, stopping whatever was beginning to brew between Kurt and Rachel – Blaine didn't know whether this was intentional or whether it was just Finn being Finn.

"Yeah, Kurt told me actually," Blaine replied.

"Oh! I forgot to tell you," Rachel said, gushing, "Finn said I could be a _bridesmaid_!"

Judging by Kurt's face, he hadn't known either.

"That's great!" Blaine smiled, "I'm sure you'll be the prettiest girl there."

"She sure will be," Finn said before his eyes widened in realisation of what he just said. "Sorry! I'm not hitting on your girl or anything!"

"It's cool, Finn," Blaine said. "Anyway. Kurt, want to meet the rest of the cast?"

"That would be great."

"Good. Follow me," Blaine said, navigating his way over to the stage, where a number of cast members were standing around talking.

"Hey!" Blaine called out to the group, and they all turned to face him.

"Guys, we have a new member," Blaine said, "It's Kurt Hummel!" He smiled as he glanced at Kurt, but his smile wavered when he realised that Kurt wasn't smiling.

"Isn't that that fag?" one of the cast shouted - Blaine wasn't aware who it was.

"We ain't got time for fags here, yo," Artie said, "I can't be catching no diseases."

"You must be diseased already, to wear that sweater," Kurt counted, but it hadn't gone amiss by Blaine that he had tensed up as soon as the name calling had started.

"You see that? I'm telling ya, those homos think they're better than anyone else," Another person said, and then someone else yelled, "I'm not performing with a fag on stage!"

The smile had really gone from Blaine's face now, and was replaced by eyebrows knotting together and a mouth opened in a small 'o'.

"Listen up, munchkins. Either you stop squabbling like the immature toddlers that you are, or I find replacements for every single one of you," Miss Sylvester barked, and that was enough to shut the cast up.

"Right. Shuester's going to be here in five, and when he is I wanted you to have perfected the routine to '_It Takes Two'_, am I clear? Triple Nipple, you're out. Porcelain, you're in. Asian, teach him the ropes. The rest of you practise our next number. Whatever Shuester's decided it to be."

"Yes Miss Sylvester," the cast said, each of them taking time to stare at Kurt before walking off to practise.

"Becky, my office. We need to discuss crowd control," Miss Sylvester snapped as she returned to her office. Becky followed after her, and Kurt heard "I'm so sorry Coach," come from the office before the door was slammed.

Kurt raised his eyebrows and Blaine smiled, "You get used to it."

"Oh," was all Kurt had to say.

"Hey!" a voice interrupted them, and Kurt turned to see Mike Chang standing next to him, "You're Kurt, right?"

"Yeah. You must be Mike?"

"That's right. So do you want to get started? It's pretty straightforward."

"And this is where I leave," Blaine smiled, patting Kurt and Mike lightly on the shoulders before walking over to Rachel, who was in an enthusiastic discussion with Finn.

"I think we should wait until after I win Miss Teenage Hairspray!" Rachel exclaimed, "At least to ensure my win! And we know the winner gets the most solos - after all, I did win last year."

"Have you ever thought of, you know, _not_ winning?" Finn asked.

"_Finn_?" Rachel shouted, "How could you say that?"

"Say what?" Blaine asked, sensing that that was the perfect time to interrupt their conversation.

"That I shouldn't win Miss Teenage Hairspray!" Rachel said, attaching herself immediately to Blaine's arm.

"I'm sure Finn has a good reason."

"You're my boyfriend! You're supposed to stick up for me!"

"Rachel, you _have_ won for the last three years."

"Oh, you're right," Rachel said, pouting, "Maybe I ought to give it up this year."

"That's what I was saying, man!" Finn said, frowning, "Girls are confusing."

Blaine laughed, "Well, maybe she was trying to tell you something."

"That she agrees with you and not me?" Finn said.

"I'm her boyfriend. She's supposed to agree with me."

"…And I'm not," Finn said, like it was the worst thing on earth – and from his point of view, it probably was.

"Not yet," Blaine said, and the colour drained from Finn's face in only a few seconds.

"Whatever you think-" Finn began, but then saw the look etched on Blaine's face, the raised eyebrow and the knowing smile, he stopped himself. He sighed, "How long have you known?"

"I've known for ages," Blaine shrugged.

"Shouldn't you be angry, or something?"

"I'm okay with it. I guess I've never really considered Rachel any more than a friend. But if you guys want to get together, I'm cool with it."

"Really?" Finn spluttered, "Are you serious?"

"Yeah," Blaine said, "I am."

"You're awesome, man!" Finn said, "I'm gonna find Rachel and tell her." He walked over to the piano, where Rachel stood. Blaine watched Finn tell Rachel and her mouth open wide in shock.

"No!" she said, marching over to Blaine, "You have to be angry! You have to be _furious_!"

Blaine shrugged, "I guess I'm not."

"You're not even a little angry?" Rachel asked.

"No," Blaine said, shaking his head.

"I can't believe it!" Rachel said, "How can you not be angry? Even Jesse was angry!"

"Maybe Ladyboy made him a fag," Puck suggested, appearing from nowhere. It was then that people began to notice, each of them crowding around Blaine, Finn and Rachel. Blaine saw Kurt march over, and Blaine found himself wondered whether he had some sort of special homophobia-sensor.

"That's ridiculous!" Kurt said, walking away from his tutorial with Mike and straight up to Puck, "You can't catch a _sexual orientation_." He spat the last two words out, the anger in him reaching a boiling point. Blaine walked over, ready to hold Kurt off if he did decide to do anything. Mike joined him, the two of them sharing a cautionary look.

"Kurt," Mike said, "I wouldn't do this here."

Kurt looked like he was about to hit Puck before he closed his eyes and turned to Blaine and Mike. "Neither would I," he said. "But I think I know the dance. Can we run through?"

Mike turned to Blaine and Blaine answered, "Sure."

He gestured to Brad, who began to play the beginning of _It Takes Two_. The other four singers, Kurt, Puck, Sam and Ryder took their positions behind him, singing the first line.

Blaine grinned as he joined in, the exhilaration of performing pulsing through his veins. This? This was good.


End file.
